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Around Azeroth: Im in ur legion, enslavin ur elites
Reader Diogenetic of Mannoroth sends in this shot showing off his favorite way to farm Aldor rep. Of the technique, he says, "this guy can pretty much clear out all of Legion Hold for me before the diminishing returns on enslave become problematic..." Must be nice!Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
WoW Moviewatch: Fantastico News
If there were a standard Azerothian newscast format -- this wouldn't be it. (At least I don't think news anchors are supposed to be quite so existential.) Also bear in mind that this is an older video, made back when felheart was the ultimate achievement of any Warlock and long before the world had weather effects.Previously on Moviewatch...
Breakfast Topic: W... w.... warlocks?
I'm shivering in my boots as I type this post. I quiver in fear at the very mention of warlocks. My knees are shaking, my nose is dribbling, and my eyes are getting teary at the mere thought of seeing a warlock today, walking around with one of those spooky infernals or... *gulp*... succubi.Okay not really. But you've got to admit, with sooo many people complaining about how overpowered warlocks are, that's got to amount to a lot of fear! But fortunately for warlocks, fear is what they're all about. Warlocks seem to just soak it up when people cringe at the sight of them or complain about how overpowered they are.Still, there are plenty of chances to complain in other places. If you'd like to complain about warlocks today, by all means start a warlock of your own so that you can really get the inside scoop on what exactly should be changed! But today, which is Warlock Day, in our very last breakfast topic about class encouragement, let's not complain -- let's tell all those warlocks out there: whether you are a warlock, play with one, or fight against them in PvP, what is it you love and fear about them?
Blood Pact: Changing resilience to weaken DoTs
Perhaps you've heard about the planned change to modify the resilience stat to effect DoTs? When I first read about it, I can't say I understood it. Resilience is an anti-crit stat, which reduces the chance that you'll take a critical strike and reduces the damage done by a critical strike if you take it. Specifically, each point of resilience (and at level 70, it takes 39.4 resilience rating to equal one point of resilience) reduces your chance to be crit by 1% and reduces crit damage by 2%.But the main downside to using DoTs as a damage source is that they're incapable of critting. So what in the world do DoTs have to do with resilience? Eyonix explains it for us:As it currently stands, each new tier of equipment adds to the amount of damage DoT abilities have, yet that damage is not mitigated through combat ratings found on typical equipment. This change will help ensure that DoT effects do not scale too well compared to other damage mechanics. The amount of damage reduced will be equal to the critical chance reduction effect that resilience grants.If you're as confused as I was about why this was being done, not to mention how it was going to work, read on.
Must I lose my felguard?
Arie my lock has been speeding toward the level cap at lightning speed. It really is a joy to play a character that can solo with ease. Ever since level 50 Flaaghun my trusty Felguard has been at my side, my pocket warrior, there to shield me from the baddies. It's been sixteen levels, and he is still a large part of my damage, but I am wondering if I shouldn't try something new. Arie has been all about the pets ever since I created her. In fact, she's one of the characters that I never respecc'd, because Demonology just seemed to be the tree for me. This might have been because when I started playing WoW she was my first character, and I admit I really didn't have an understanding of Warcraft lore nor of the role warlocks actually play. When I did finally understand the evil underpinnings of my character, I shelved her, until I came to grips with my little blond ball of destruction. Now that I have justified her origins with her class in my own personal lore, I wonder if I should seek out more power from her and leave my trusty Flaaghun behind. I'm not even sure if I need to, but as I understand it Demonology is largely a defensive class, and the real punch to the dps meter lies elsewhere. I currently have 15 points or so in Affliction, but in order to maximize my damage, do I have to part with my dear friend, or is there somehow a viable Demonology spec that will allow me to keep him and blast things to bits with the darkness in my soul?
Around Azeroth: Anyone want a free summon to Ironforge?
Reader Quogar from Blackwing Lair says that one of his guild-mates was offering free summons to Ironforge one evening. When accepting the summon, here's where Quogar wound up. And, trust me, this is probably the least dangerous place you'll wind up when someone freely offers to summon you to any location. Warlocks can be very devious, and might summon you off cliffs, far underwater, or even into lava. This is my public service announcement for the day: be wary of freely offered summons, because you never know where they'll end up. Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Blood Pact: The future for pets
Every week Elizabeth Harper contributes Blood Pact, where she tries to share the joy of the Warlock class with her fellow players, Warlock or not. If you asked me, I'd say that pets are an integral part of the Warlock class. But I may be biased -- I do play a Demonology Warlock, which means my pets are more powerful and give me special buffs whenever I have them out. But even if you prefer Affliction or Destruction, you have to admit that pets are a useful asset: they add to our DPS, they can tank, they can buff us, they can crowd control.But our pets are hardly perfect. In raids, they're fragile enough to often die (except for the Imp, which can Phase Shift and stay out of trouble -- but while it's Phase Shifted, it can't really do anything useful besides provide its Blood Pact buff). And our upper-level pets, the Infernal and Doomguard, are impossible to control for more than a few minutes at a time. In fact, after level 40, the pet aspect of the class significantly tapers off -- we have four (or, for a Demonology Warlock, five) pets that each fill different purposes, but there's nothing new to come, and no exciting skills or abilities to help you on the road to level 70.So where should Warlock pets go in the future? Read on to hear about their problems and their possible solutions.
Blood Pact: What is a Warlock?, part 2
Every week Elizabeth Harper contributes Blood Pact, where she tries to share the joy of the Warlock class with her fellow players, Warlock or not.Warlocks are an unusual class -- difficult to define by any measure. When I first started playing, I sometimes had trouble getting into instance groups. The conversation would go something like this:Me: Hey, I saw you were looking for more for Scarlet Monastery. Can I join?Party leader: Well, we really wanted DPS...Me: I'm a Warlock -- I can DPS!Party leader: NM, we just found a Hunter.Me: But...!Now, I don't think I ran into this problem because the party leaders were always idiots. It's just that many players didn't have a clear idea of what a Warlock was or what they could do. Last week, I talked about the two of the most powerful tools in the Warlok's arsenal: DoTs and Fear. This week, I'm going to continue trying to define what a Warlock is by talking about the many things they bring to a group, starting with pets. Yes! You may not realize it, but Warlock pets aren't just for soloing -- they have stellar group utility.
Blood Pact: What is a Warlock?, part 1
Every week Elizabeth Harper contributes Blood Pact, where she tries to share the joy of the Warlock class with her fellow players, Warlock or not. When I first started playing World of Warcraft, I rolled the ubiquitous Night Elf Hunter. The pet angle appealed to me, and in all the games I'd played previously, I preferred to stay away from close combat and pelt my victims with spells or arrows from a safe distance. However, with so many classes available to me, I couldn't stick with just one -- my second character was a Mage. I spent my first weeks in Azeroth cheerfully hopping between these two characters, but I must admit that neither of the characters made it past level 20. Why? I found out that a friend of mine played on another realm, so I rerolled to join them -- this time as a Warlock.I didn't know what I was getting in to at the time, I only knew that Warlocks had pets like Hunters and cast spells like Mages. But I've got to tell you, despite the first-glance similarities between the classes, they're not at all alike -- which I learned while leveling mine to 60. (And before you ask -- I played this Warlock prior to the class changes that turned them into tiny gods. Yes, I was a Warlock back when Warlocks were the underdogs.) Perhaps you're not quite sure what to expect from Warlocks -- whether you play with them, are trying to kill them, or are thinking about rolling one yourself. If so, read on as I attempt to explain the essence of the Warlock class.
Constructive criticism with the forums and the Armory
Some European players recently posted topics to their forums which focused on giving constructive criticism to whoever was above them in the thread. As the draenei author of the hunters' "what does the hunter above you need?" post put it:This isn't another "Rate my armory" thread. But rather a thread to give constructive criticism and directions for the above hunter. Like when you see a hunter in peril running around with a 2H Sword of the Bandit you could point him towards the Sonic Spear in Shadow Labyrinth. Or when a confused survivalist spends 2 of his precious talent points in Imp. Feign Death you could tell him to spend them on something more useful like Clever Traps and so on. May the Naaru bless you all.Not only is the idea tremendously useful, there's something about the humility and camaraderie in the attitude of this sort of post that gives me a pleasant surprise. Usually the forums (and anonymous Internet communication in general) have of all sorts of nastiness, and it's refreshing to see people using everything that the forums and the armory provide in such a cooperative way.I found "what does the player above you need?" posts for Hunters, Warlocks, Rogues, and Warriors. If you have found similar forum posts for other classes, or posts with remarkable constructive criticism of another sort, please mention them in the comments below.
WoW TCG: Interview with Mike Hummel, Senior Game Designer
Mike Hummel has been playing collectible card games since the beginning. As leader of the R&D team at Upper Deck, he created the Marvel/DC VS system, as well as worked on Yu-gi-oh, one of the most successful CCGs of all time. And he's one of three main designers behind the World of Warcraft card game. So when I asked for a demo game, and he sat down to play across from me, I was suitably intimidated.It didn't help that I had never actually played the game before. But Hummel knows card strategy in and out (he should know this card game-- he made it), and so I followed his instructions as I laid down my first quest cards and resources. I took his advice in choosing my first allies and playing my abilities. I was given a Warlock deck to start with, and it became a classic PvP duel when his Druid dropped into Cat Form and started ripping me apart.
Rob Pardo learns from his daughter
Gamasutra has a few Father's Day week tidbits up about game designers who are also fathers, and how that affects their work. One of their interviews today is with Rob Pardo, who is VP of Game Design with Blizzard. He talks about how he plays with his daughter, who apparently plays a mean 54 warlock. Maybe that's why they're overpowered? I'm joking, I'm joking!Seriously, he says that watching his 5-year-old daughter play lets him in on what's "fundamentally fun" about the game-- he and his team may be working hard to tune raid encounters, but when he sees that his daughter is jumping around buildings or trying on outfits, he's inspired to put a little more flavor into those seemingly mundane experiences as well (I'm a huge fan of putting on items in the dressing room, so I know right where she's coming from on that one). WoW has always been a game that balances the hardcore with the casual very well (in the early and mid-game, if not in the endgame), and apparently the way Rob Pardo makes that happen is by playing with his daughter. Neat.[ via Wonderland ]
...and Mages and Warlocks too!
Recently, I wrote a post on Rogues having trade windows opened up on them without so much as a word. As I suspected, many other Rogues out there indeed have the same problem. Of course, many had their own ways of dealing with it like picking the box, but not hitting trade until there was a tip in the window. Another idea was just keeping all trades off in their options so that people couldn't open up trades with them in the first place. All of these are things that I've tried from time to time with varying levels of success. What I didn't expect, however, was the sheer amount of people who jumped in and brought up the similar plights that Mages and Warlocks face on a daily basis. As I've got a L59 Warlock and a L61 Mage, trust me when I say that I completetly understand and appreciate what you all go through with the requests you get. I'm not even able to portal others to Shattrath yet on my Mage, but anytime I'm playing her, I almost immediately get asked to open a portal there for someone anyway. Now, nobody has opened a trade window on me without asking and grunted out "food/water" as yet, but I've definitely gotten the tells demanding that I make food or water for them, as opposed to asking nicely.
Around Azeroth: The solution to warlock pet problems...
Reader George sends in this buggy screenshot that, perhaps, is a reasonable way to solve the problems with warlock and hunter pets when getting on flying mounts. Oh, sure -- Blizzard's made a change that will cause pets to be dismissed when you mount up, but, really, having them ride along with you, perhaps in a little basket or side-car of some sort, is much more entertaining.Do you have a unique shot of Azeroth or Outland that you'd like to show off to the rest of the world? Tell us about it by e-mailing aroundazeroth@gmail.com! Or perhaps you'd just like to see more of your pics from Around Azeroth. %Gallery-1816%
Alts and alts and alts, oh my!
I probably play World of Warcraft way too much. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery, right? My addiction stems from not being happy with one character, or two, or three... I have 7 characters leveling in the Outlands right now, two of which are raiding Karazhan. Why can't I stick with just one and work on it until it's the best of the best? Because I love my alts! I created my first alt when my primary character, a Hunter, hit level 52. I'm not entirely sure why I did so, but it probably had something to do with having out-leveled my friends by about 20 levels and wanting to help them without hindering our playing experience. My first alt was a Warlock, who I took to 60 first, becoming my first instance grinding and raiding main character. The hunter stood on standby for a while, until my guild had Molten Core on farm-mode, upon which I took him to 60 and brought him in for our alt runs. He was one of the first to complete the Lok'delar/Rhok'delar/Lamina quest in our guild, which he still has (at least, until I dust him off and bring him out of retirement). After a few months with them, I met other people who played on a different server, and they needed main tanks for their progression. So I was off and running with a Warrior, who was level 60 in a matter of a few weeks. I helped that guild progress through Blackwing Lair when I took my first burnout hiatus. It took a few months of enjoying other things, more real-life than virtual, when I was feeling the pangs of withdrawal and logged back in.
But...we've got personality!
When I started playing WoW two years ago, my first character was a warlock. Not understanding what the warlock class was all about, I built myself a bright sunny blond little lock, and quickly tired of the class. My next character was my mage, and I took to that class quickly and easily, having played similar characters in Neverwinter Nights. But even the mage didn't truly fit my personality. Sure, she is my main character, she's my level 70 and I am proud of what I have accomplished with her. I just don't think I am a mage at heart. I actually think I am a priest. Yesterday I even took the personality quiz on the World of Warcraft MySpace, and I came up as a priest, albeit an undead one. Since then, I have been thinking why is it I love playing my priest so much. She's only 32, doesn't have all the spiffy gear my older characters have. The conclusion I came to is that the priest class fits my personality best. I wouldn't call myself a pacifist, but I really don't like fighting all that much. Given a choice to confront a mob or go around, I choose the second option. Now that I have rolled my priest, I notice that I am much more content sitting at the back of the raid filling up those green bars. I get a feeling of accomplishment knowing that I am helping keep the group going. Thinking of all of this made me curious. I'd love to know, what classes fit your personality best? If you were scanned into the game tomorrow, where would you fit in the world? Or, is there no class that truly fits you?
Build Shop: Warlock 0/40/21
I apologize for this week's Build Shop being a day late; I've been driving all around North Carolina and internet access has been spotty. This week we look at the master of fire and shadow, the Warlock. I've got a lock at approximately level 55, so I'd rate my knowledge of the class "medium." This one should be a bit less noobish than last week's Warrior write-up, at any rate.This build comes courtesy of Rixnor, of Serious Business on Duskwood (H), who "thought [he] would show you a Raiding Demonology build that doesn't get much love." He's tried 0/21/40 and 41/X/X, and likes 0/40/21 better for raiding. He says he "felt gimp" in 0/21/40 due to having to have a pet out all the time, a lot of the Destruction talents not doing much for him (he likes shadow), and aggro limitations. As he rightly points out, pretty much any good caster is putting out as much dps as he can without pulling aggro off the tank, which means anything that reduces threat increases available DPS. One thing I don't know is how much Soulshatter changes this balance, but still, reduced threat is nice.
Death Coil: Diminishing, but only against itself.
Seems like those who have been in PVP battles against groups of multiple warlocks, then felt the sting of Death Coil landing and sending you screaming off into the distance have something to look forward to in their upcoming battles... somewhat. According to Eyonix on the General Forums: We're actually going to be updating the patch notes soon, with a new note indicating that Death Coil will now be subject to diminishing returns with itself, in the Horror category. Currently, only Death Coil is in this category. On the other hand, Death Coil is on, what, a 2 minute cool down? As such, this is really only going to apply if you get into a fight with more than one warlock Death Coiling you at a time. Perhaps it's just me, but it doesn't seem like this is going to be too terribly much of a concern to most warlocks running around on their own. (I admit, my 'lock is only 58) Especially when you consider that Death Coil's fear effect doesn't diminish based on a warlock using other fear effects -- only itself, currently. Now, if you make it's effect diminish when combined with other fear effects...
Tier 6 in motion
By now, you've probably seen the Tier 6 shots (if not, you've got to read Elizabeth's great critiques of them all), but here they are in all of their full-motion glory. Yes, even the Warlock (lol) set. Don't watch this if you're not into spoilers, especially because there's a little surprise at the end... Was it just me, or did the Paladin set just look like weird flat spikes before? Here, you can see it's actually glowy. And it's awesome to see the eyes on the Hunter set blink, although I think that if I ever did get my Hunter to the point where he could wear and obtain those shoulders, all that blinking would annoy me after a while. The Mage's head just looks all pointy. But oh yes, that Shaman set does look awesome. You hear that, guild? We've got to get to the Black Temple... it will be mine.
You get water from a well
... and bread from a mill? Grettel asks an interesting question on the forums: Why don't mages get a water well? That would be a spell like Lightwell or Ritual of Souls that would create an item players can click on to get their own water (or food-- Grettel says a "flour mill" would work), instead of having the mage cast Conjure Water 60 times before every raid.It's not really a bad idea. The obvious benefit is that it would definitely save time, and since other classes have gotten timesaving skills like this, pretty much the only thing anyone waits for in a raid now is for the mages to make all the water they need to give out, and then drink again to regain all that mana. The only real argument against it is that unlike, say, Ritual of Souls, the mage water spell doesn't require any costs or reagents-- just mana. So the devs might counter that Ritual of Souls was meant to make the reagent cost cheaper for warlocks, but mages are supposed to use their mana-- that's how you play the game.I guess you could make a parallel with buffs as well-- if we're not waiting for mages to drink after conjuring their water, we're waiting for priests to drink after rebuffing all the time. The only way to keep that time from being wasted is to give the priests mana-free buffs, and that ain't going to happen, so maybe the devs aren't hot on the water well idea, either.But considering Ritual of Souls was implemented, a food and water well doesn't seem too far off. Maybe there'll be an extra mage quest in the next content patch?
